table. He looked up at her and smiled, it made her heart break.
“Hey dad, want me to cook you something?” She walked to the refrigerator and frowned. It was almost empty with just a carton of milk. It was the final crack in her heart. She knew she would be going in to work late because she would go to the store to make sure he was stocked up. She vowed that she would check on her father more.
After making sure her father had enough food to last him for a few weeks , she went in to work. She was stacking books and didn’t look up when she heard the door open. “I’ll be with you in a minute,” she yelled as she put away another book.
“I have always liked your ass.”
She stiffened when she heard his voice. Slowly she turned around to look at her soon to be ex-husband.
“Hello beautiful,” h e said and winked at her.
“Robert what are you doing here?”
H e stepped closer to her, and she backed up until her back hit the book shelf. He smiled mischievously at her, and it made her body go cold. She could tell that he had been drinking, and she knew how he could get when he was drunk. “Can’t I see my wife if I want?”
She put her hands in her pocket and hoped she pressed call because her last call was to Stefan. Even if he just heard what her ex had to say it would help her tomorrow. “I’m not your wife anymore, so you don’t have that right.”
He moved closer so he was less than a foot away. “We are still married until I sign the fucking papers.” Now she could smell the strong smell of whiskey. “Maybe I will take you one last time before then as a good bye fuck.”
Her heart raced as she remembered the last time he ’d done this to her. She’d tried to block it out of her head, but it always came back to haunt her. “You’re drunk and you need to leave.” She wondered what Stefan was thinking or if he was still on the phone listening.
He grinned at her, and she reached behind her to grab a book , just in case he didn’t leave. “I will get you back.” And with that he was gone, and she slid to the floor. She reached in her pocket to see if she was still connected with Stefan and she was.
Slowly she brought her phone to her ear. “Hey,” she said.
“What the hell is going on? Do you need me to come over there?” he sounded pissed off, and she wondered why.
“Hmm…no . I think I’m fine now. I just wanted someone to hear it if he threatened me.”
“He has threaten ed you before?” he asked, his voice deeper than before.
She didn’t want to tell him what had happened before, he would think she was weak and she didn’t want that. “I don’t want to talk about that. I just feel better knowing you were listening.”
He mumbled something she didn’t understand as she started to stand up, and then he said, “Fine, but we will be talking later.” He hung up again.
S he sighed knowing she would never tell him what truly happened with Robert. Laura didn’t even know. She pulled herself together as her boss, Mark, walked in, he was an older man in his late sixty’s with is salt and pepper hair. He had caring green eyes that seemed to see right through her.
“Are you okay , Gretchen?” he asked, his eyebrows arched.
She just nodded and excused herself to the bathroom. After work she went straight home knowing that Stefan would be there and asking questions. Sure enough he was waiting for her outside her door , still in his dark police uniform. It made him look sexy and she wanted to rip it off of him. But when he looked up at her, he looked pissed off.
“Good evening , Office Romano.” She smiled at him and he just lifted one eyebrow at her. Sighing she placed her keys in the door to unlock it and walked in leaving the door open for him. She walked into her kitchen and grabbed a beer for herself and started to drink it as she watched him watching her.
“I did a search on you and Robert Elliott and I found nothing. So would you like to tell me what happened in
Learning to Kill: Stories